Marcelo Garcia is, without a doubt, one of the most renowned grapplers on the planet. His numerous grappling titles include four division championships at ADCC and five division championships at the Mundials, among others.

Representing the Alliance jiu jitsu team, Garcia’s grappling skills have gained respect from BJJ and MMA competitors alike. With Josh Waitzkin, Garcia also co-founded MGInAction.com, an online training database which includes thousands of videos of Garcia’s training techniques and hundreds of sparring sessions as well.

In asking a good friend of mine, a BJJ black belt (who is much more knowledgeable about BJJ than myself), what he thought of Garcia, he stressed how innovative Garcia is and how he has revolutionized the BJJ game.

In one of the newest releases from famed publishing house Victory Belt, Garcia has put his innovation in print and authored Advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques.

[Marcelo Garcia] – Considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter in the world – has proven time and again that his unique style of grappling is one of the most effective forms of Brazilian jiu jitsu in existence. In Advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Marcelo unveils the system of techniques that allowed him to conquer the world of BJJ. As a five-time BJJ World Champion and a four-time ADCC Submission Grappling World Champion, Marcelo has shown that his style of fighting translates to both gi and no-gi competitions, making his system a must for all who train in the grappling arts.

Through detailed narative and more than 2,000 step-by-step color photographs, Marcelo breaks down the arm drag, methods for taking and sustaining back control, finishes from the back, and a plethora of takedowns and guard passes. Leaving no stone unturned, he also sheds new light on the guillotine choke and omoplata submissions.

To avoid watering down the pages with redundant transitions and submissions that are well known and widely taught in jiu jitsu schools across the gloves, Marcelo only covers the techniques that are unique to his system. Unlike a lot of jiu jitsu systems, which include techniques that are limited in range and application, each submission covered in this technical manual is practical and guaranteed to work on opponents both large and small. Having competed in the Absolute Open Weight Division his entire life, Marcelo discarded the techniques that didn’t work on larger, stronger opponents. What you are left with is a highly effective and efficient system of grappling that works for an on everyone. Let Advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu elevate your grappling game to the next level.

Overall, Garcia’s book is an excellent instructional manual. Recognizing the importance of the digital age, Garcia provides numerous “Helpful Hints” throughout the book from his MGInAction.com site, and also provides links to the video for the particular technique for which he provides the hint. The book also contains a full user guide on how to navigate the website, set up a personalized video playlist and access videos on your mobile device.

Potential buyers do need to know that nearly every technique demonstrated in the book is demonstrated in the gi. However, the vast majority of the techniques would easily translate to use in no gi and MMA competitions.

As the title indicates, these are advanced techniques, and as the book description states, “Marcelo only covers the techniques that are unique to his system”. While beginners could definitely get some good information from this book, to get the true benefit of it, the reader would need more than a rudimentary understanding of BJJ.

Some of the techniques Garcia covers include:

Arm Drags

Establishing Back Control

Submissions from Back Control

Takedowns

Attacking the Guard; and

Submissions

Each section has an introduction from Garcia, and each technique is preceded by a brief paragraph in which Garcia explains some basic tenets of the technique as well as why he chooses one technique over another, and small tips to help practitioners make the most of the position.

As with all Victory Belt instructional manuals, the full-color photographs throughout the book display multiple angles of each technique to give readers as much insight as possible into the nuances of each position.

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About Brian Furby

Brian Furby is a licensed attorney and former fighter manager. Furby often works as a licensed MMA judge for the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority, and is the founder of TitleBeard.com. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking and being Gary Thomas's life coach. Furby can be reached by emailing him at bfurby[at]gmail.com